Jiangsu Odin Technology Co., Ltd., a leading Chinese educational technology enterprise, has recently donated two smart interactive blackboard to Hamdan Bin Zayed School in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This marks the first deployment of Chinese smart education equipment in UAE’s model school for Chinese language education, signifying a crucial step toward digitalization and intelligence in China-UAE educational cooperation.
Established in 2006 by the decree of then Crown Prince and current UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Hamdan School reflects the UAE leadership’s high-level commitment and forward-thinking approach to Chinese language education. Originally named “Mushref” Chinese School and renamed after relocating to its current campus in June 2015, it stands as the Middle East’s only public school that has officially incorporated Chinese as a mandatory subject. The school’s unique trilingual teaching model in Arabic, English, and Chinese plays a vital role in cultivating students’ cross-cultural communication skills and understanding of Chinese culture. Over the past decade, it has nurtured numerous talented individuals with Chinese language proficiency, earning recognition as an exemplar of China-UAE educational cooperation.
In July 2019, under the witness of Chinese President Xi Jinping and then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammed (now UAE President), the two countries signed a memorandum in Beijing, officially launching the “Chinese Language Education in 100 Schools” initiative in the UAE. Since the implementation of this strategic cooperation project, Chinese language education in the UAE has achieved remarkable progress. To date, 171 schools across the country offer Chinese courses, with the number of Chinese language learners surging from just 20 to 71,000 students, demonstrating the impressive “UAE speed.” In May this year, 40 student representatives from the school wrote to President Xi Jinping and received his warm reply, highlighting the deep friendship between the youth of both nations.
The donated Odin Smart Blackboard integrates cutting-edge educational technology and a suite of innovative features, committed to revolutionizing traditional teaching methods. It supports smooth writing with chalk, fingers, and capacitive pens, allowing teachers and students to experience the convenience of technology in writing. Additionally, it is equipped with a whiteboard software specifically designed for Chinese language teaching, making the display and interaction of teaching content more intuitive and vivid. Moreover, the blackboard comes with a rich multimedia teaching resource library that includes a vast array of Chinese cultural materials, providing students with an immersive learning experience. These features will undoubtedly significantly enhance the quality of digital interactive Chinese teaching and the learning outcomes of students.
The Chairman of Odin Technology states that as an innovation leader in China’s smart education sector, the company will leverage its technological advantages to provide comprehensive technical support and follow-up services to Hamdan School. Additionally, the company plans to collaborate with more UAE schools, using technological innovation to support the development of the “100 Schools” initiative and inject new momentum into China-UAE educational cooperation.
Notably, the UAE is China’s largest investment destination in the Arab world and an exemplary partner in the Belt and Road Initiative. As home to the Middle East’s first “Chinese Bridge Club,” Hamdan School’s innovative development in Chinese education serves as a crucial bridge promoting people-to-people connectivity between China and Arab countries. The deepening of this educational technology cooperation will further enrich the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two nations, paving a new digital path for in-depth cooperation in the education sector.
